Children enrolled in child development centers (CDCs) in Antique learned to develop their sense of nationalism at an early age.

Margie Mijares, whose four-year-old son is enrolled at the Lacaron CDC in Barangay Lacaron, Sibalom, said, at times, he could hear him singing the national anthem, Lupang Hinirang, alone, although he could not memorize the full lyrics yet.

“My son learned to sing the national anthem because he is being taught at the CDC,” she said in an interview on Thursday.

Jeneme Dubria said her three-year-old daughter was always excited about attending the flag-raising ceremony at the San Pedro CDC in San Jose de Buenavista every morning.

She said child development workers taught children the importance of the flag and the national anthem as symbols of Philippine independence.

Antique Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office Early Childhood Care and Development (EECD) program in-charge Carla Cabigunda said the daily flag-raising ceremony and the singing of the national anthem are among the activities that help children develop their love for country, civic and culture, values and character building.

“The ‘love for country’ is one of the core values emphasized in the National Early Learning Framework developed by the ECCD Council,” she said in a separate interview.

Vivian Rose Hallares, a child development worker (CDW) in Barangay Lapak, San Remigio, for the past 35 years already, said that daily during school days, they hold a flag-raising rite as part of teaching children to respect and love the country.

“I am teaching the children as early as two-and-a-half to four years old to sing the national anthem during our flag-raising ceremony that we show our sense of nationalism,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.

They have instilled that by singing the national anthem, they also show pride and gratitude to national heroes who fought for the country’s independence.

Merly Saturnino of Carmelo I CDC in Barangay Carmelo I, also in San Remigio, said that one of the four core values they teach children is the love of country.

“We have flag-raising daily, for we believe that by doing so, children learn to memorize the national anthem,” Saturnino said.

It also helped them develop self-discipline because once they heard the national anthem, they immediately stood and put their right hand on their chest to show their allegiance to the Philippine flag. (PNA)